In the interregnum between now and when we can get to Sweden, we are trying to get sailing in where we can. To that end, we chartered a 30 foot Catalina out of Southwest Harbor Maine for a week at the end of September. My brother Chip joined Kitty and I for this most excellent adventure.

We left Southwest Harbor in a chilly rain on September 17 with full foul weather gear for the sail around the southeastern shore of Mount Desert Island. The rain abated mid morning, and westerly 10-15 knot winds made for a pleasant broad reach around the island, followed by a series of tacks up Frenchman's Bay to Sorrento Harbor. Sorrento is a beautiful quaint village, with many "cottages" owned by the Bangor elite... Chip recalled our Mom being quite pleased to have been invited to a ladies tea there many years ago. The skies cleared for a wonderful sunset dinner outside in our cockpit, with Chip's pulled beef sandwiches accompanied by an elegant bottle of Amarone Della Valpolicella (thank you Giancarlo, your wine palate is much more refined than ours!). Looking out over the bay to Cadillac Mountain, the view could not have been finer.

The next several days included crisp autumn sailing, exploration of Frenchman's Bay and its many islands and passages, an overnight in Winter Harbor on Schoodic Point, and a blustery return to Southwest Harbor to drop Chip off. This time clear weather made it possible to fully appreciate the coastal real estate that makes Bar Harbor the Newport of the North.

We spent the next two nights berthed at a nice hotel in Bar Harbor waiting out Hurricane Teddy, which brought 50 knot winds and 20 foot seas to the area. After the storm cleared, we spent our last few days exploring Some's Sound and the Cranberry Islands, with nice anchorages at Some's Harbor and Islesford. Growing up, I was told that the long thin Some's Sound was a fjord, but according to Wikipedia it is actually a "fyard", a fjord's smaller cousin. Call it what you will, it is beautiful.

All in all, we highly recommend late season cruising in the Mount Desert/Penobscot Bay Area - no crowds, empty anchorages, beautiful scenery... but make sure to bring your 40 degree sleeping bag!